Letters to the editor: July 14, 2010

Here are letters to the editor from Daily News editions of July 14, 2010:

Worth a shot

Editor, Daily News:

My letter to BP:

"Can I have the name and number of your local — Naples, Florida — claims office? I am having a problem with my lawn. (It's turning brown and dying out, and I think it may be due to some of your petroleum byproducts from the recent oil spill evaporating and getting into the local water cycle/atmosphere and raining these toxic byproducts down on to my lawn).

"I would appreciate it if you would fund a replacement for my entire lawn.

The Democrats are again trying to flim-flam the public by condemning the Republican opposition to another extension of the jobless benefits.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls the opposition "just cruel" and "contrary to what our country is about." Columnist Ann McFeatters also joins the chorus.

But they tell only half of the story when they paint the Republicans as unsympathetic naysayers who only want to block the unemployment checks to provide more incentive to seek jobs. Although there is some merit to this argument, what the Republicans are really doing is standing firm in their opposition to adding to the federal deficit.

The Democrats want to borrow the money for extending the benefits. They want to add another $33 billion to the nation's $1.3 trillion deficit and to the $13 trillion national debt. They fail to mention that Republican leaders have offered to vote for the bill if it is actually paid for.

When minority leader Mitch McConnell offered a compromise that would extend benefits for two months and pay for it with some of the unspent billions left in the stimulus fund, majority leader Harry Reid turned him down. Republican Sen. George Voinovich made a similar offer that was also rejected. The Democrats want to save those funds for a spending spree just before the fall elections.

Democrats are obviously more interested in having this issue to demagogue for political gamesmanship than they are in simply passing the benefits extension.

— Joe Trotzig

Naples

The bullhorn bully

Editor, Daily News:

I would like to clarify a few points in the complaint filed by the Democratic Women's Club of Collier County (DWC) against the boorish behavior of the tea party spokesman at the July Fourth parade in Naples.

The DWC contingent was led by a young woman pushing a stroller carrying two small children followed by a DWC banner followed by a convertible carrying Elaine Vaccaro, president of the DWC. Then came a 4-foot-by-20-foot banner reading "Alex Sink, Florida's first woman governor" carried by five women. Bringing up the rear was a truck carrying a sound system that played patriotic music throughout the parade. Also marching with the group was Betty Geisendanner, the regional DWC chair of five Florida counties.

As this group of women and children passed the tea party group waiting to enter the parade, the boor with the bullhorn was clearly heard by 10 DWC members to state the following:

Where is Obama's army?

You are a bunch of cowards.

Where is the Obama army now?

These and other insults were blasted into the passing DWC group with a full-volume bullhorn from just a few feet away.

The inappropriateness of this behavior at a parade celebrating our nation's independence speaks for itself.

I trust the tea party spokesman realizes that his decision to play the school-yard bully against women and children is a direct reflection on the organization he represents.

— Dale Danford

Naples

The ethics angle

Editor, Daily News:

On the subject of Jackson Lab coming to Collier County:

I am against the use of animals in medical research. Many major, costly mistakes have been made over the decades due to the unreliable results of animal tests. The reason so many warnings are tacked on to the end of commercials for pharmaceuticals is because their effects can be severe — and very different — from one person to another. One man's miracle cure could cause convulsions, vomiting, severe diarrhea, heart attacks or even death in another person.

Indeed, it's been shown that between similar animals like mice and rats, results coincide only 50 percent of the time.

I am also against the use of animals on an ethical level. Mice, just like people, are here for their own reasons — to have a life of their own as nature intended. Claiming we can do whatever we want because were bigger and have more value has no moral or ethical standing.

If aliens of super-human intellect were to come down and use us "lesser-value humans" for testing, would that be acceptable? It would have to be, according to the logic used for animal testing. In addition, virtually no legal protections exist for mice used in animal labs.

Bottom line: This will be a huge risk of taxpayer dollars in Collier County; the safety and efficacy of animal results are questionable; and the ethical aspect of using animals is reprehensible.

— Chris Brown

Marco Island

My money, my choice

Editor, Daily News:

I'm a little confused about Jackson Lab. Sounds like a good company.

What I'm confused about is the statement that they are getting $130 million from the state and now "we" need to pony up more.

Perhaps things have changed, but unless Tallahassee has a money tree or a sugar daddy we don't know about, that $130 million is coming from United States already! Same with any federal money — as if there were any extra.

I'd really like to be able to pick and choose to whom I donate money, thank you, whether it be a nonprofit company or the illegals getting food stamps. I don't want my taxes (or my electric bill) raised.

If I want to send a check, I'll do it myself.

— Linda Stawski

Naples

It dawns on me ...

Editor, Daily News:

The students of Edison State College knew what they were doing when they placed the Dawn dish soap along the beach.

Daily News letter-writer Heather Capitanio of Bonita Springs was incorrect and uninformed when she criticized them for trying to "get a headline for something of absolutely no value to anyone."

Because Dawn is a very important cleaner for the oil-covered birds and other animals, the Kritter Inc. Wildlife Sanctuary put an ad in the Panama City News Herald asking for donations of Dawn dish soap, among many other needed supplies.

The Edison College students should have received the starfish, not Ms. Capitanio, on your July 3 editorial page.

— Alice Orr

Naples

Hoop-de-doo

Editor, Daily News:

What a pleasant surprise it would have been to see LeBron James pick the Armed Forces over Miami — a real role model showing kids God, country and family are more important than throwing a ball through a hoop. I hope it makes you appreciate the Greatest Generation.

— Rick Thompson

Naples

Horse Apples

Editor, Daily News:

You have these categories of awarding starfish and other symbols to various positions and organizations based on exhibited performance.

It is a mystery to me why we all continue to get so much exposure to the peccadilloes and misbehaviors of entertainers, politicians and sports figures who have achieved some measure of prominence, whether by election, talent or just accident.

Is this what truly interests us? Are we titillated by all this gossip and baloney?

No wonder we are off the tracks as a nation.

We can't get focused on the real problems with these distractions.

Or are we simply too jaded to care anymore about the real world?

Give 'em the horse apples and put it to bed.

— Charlie Berry

Naples

Accept help

Editor, Daily News:

What's going on with our great country?

Why can't we stop this oil leak?

A few countries said they could stop this problem, but our politicians refused their help. If a country can help us, why not?

If a foreign country found a cure for cancer, I'm sure the world would seek the cure.

We are a great country. Let's use our heads and get our minds at work. This oil spill may totally ruin our fish industry.

We must stop this problem and soon!

— Tony Giordano

Naples

Oohs and aahs

Editor, Daily News:

Hooray for the fireworks.

Gotta hand it to those who display such spectacular flares that meet with the stars and light up the skies.

We gather together to watch the grand shows made especially for the Fourth of July.

It means everything about freedom and peace.

Families and friends, side by side. You wouldn't think our freedom is touched by wars and drugs and dissidents everywhere.

Now, if only the oohs and aahs would stay with us the rest of the year so we can gaze at the stars and know our country is in good hands.

— Marie Dekkers

Naples

Or try this ...

Editor, Daily News:

The talking points for the Jackson Laboratory project seem to be well coordinated on a daily basis: create jobs, diversify commerce base, draw technology to the area, look forward to a big research triangle and the like.

Maybe it would work.

But here's an alternative suggestion for use of $260 million.

n Buy the former Daily News' downtown building for $10 million. Make the 87,000-square-foot building and 10 acres into an entrepreneur incubator area as a combination of offices, small innovator labs and starter warehouses.

n Take the remaining $250 million, divide it into 500 units of $500,000 as seed capital for each of 500 entrepreneurs from Collier County and elsewhere to establish new companies in the incubator.

n Tap into many of the brightest persons in the country who reside in Collier to participate in dynamic non-governmental organization panels as mentors, screeners and advisers for the project.

Watch Collier bloom as 500 new and vital folks with an idea and ability (they're out there) are combined with a Naples workplace and hard-to-come-by financing to dramatically energize our area with for-profit enterprises.

The county would get 500 jobs by the founders for starters, plus the support staffs that would be quickly needed, and considerable demand for local support services of all kinds.

— Ed Callahan

Bonita Springs

Prior research

Editor, Daily News:

Two more Toyota recalls announced in the past 10 days, while during the same period of time, I'm reminded on TV daily that Toyota is spending a million dollars an hour on safety research.

Can't help but wonder how much money they were spending on research in the past 20 or 30 years while producing and raking in huge profits selling the products that are now being recalled!

— John E. Boyle

Naples

No politics in parade

Editor, Daily News:

The city of Naples government was wrong to have allowed special interest groups politicize its annual Independence Day parade.

Such events should be intended to bring us together as Americans, not divide us by featuring demonstrators claiming to have their own monopoly on patriotism.

The city's buck-passing "deciders" were also wrong to have refused to investigate complaints that one of those political factions verbally harassed the parade marchers of the other.

This hands-off attitude is symptomatic of laziness and/or corruption that resulted in federal and state agencies failing to perform the appropriate oversight and regulatory enforcement that allowed BP to recklessly endanger the health of the Gulf.

Years ago, women were victimized by domestic violence, children were abused and minorities were discriminated against by men who were not arrested by police who would cite the flimsy excuse of "it's just a case of he said/she said."

Thankfully, those bad old days are over, and all such complaints are not at least investigated.

The political partisanship and divisiveness is more intense and less civil now than I've ever seen it.

Will blood be shed before those tasked with protecting public safety recognize the dangers posed by such partisan bullying?

— Bruce J. Kennedy

Naples

Money for that?

Editor, Daily News:

Re: The June 30 letter from Carol Erbach.

How come she asks for money for Sunlight Home (never heard about it) — knowing we are having economic problems — for pregnant teenagers?

What about teaching these teenagers abstinence?

It is outrageous in these times, when everyone is trying to survive, that these irresponsible women are getting pregnant.

If you have enough knowledge to get pregnant, you have to have knowledge to avoid it.

What about those clinics where they supply contraception for women? Is that not enough?

I will not be giving one cent for that organization. I barely make ends meet.